February 3, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario – Upstream Ottawa Mental Health Community Support was thrilled to host a group of youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa (BGCO) at the Ottawa Senators-New York Islanders game at the Canadian Tire Centre on Bell Let’s Talk Day, Jan. 25. Joining the group were two Algonquin College public relations students involved in a class fundraising campaign for Upstream that starts in March.

The whole excursion was made possible by Bell Let’s Talk who kindly provided premium seats for the group. A private donor enabled us to provide food and transportation.

Upstream Ottawa’s new Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth, called SAPPACY, has been supporting the Boys and Girls Club for some time now. As Kim Prescod, a Youth Development & Program Specialist at the Ron Kolbus Clubhouse, said, “Upstream has been very supportive. They’ve been able to counsel some of our kids, so it’s been a good connection. We’ve done some things within the short period we’ve known Upstream, so it’s been fun.” 

Attending the game – which was not only exciting but in which the Sens won 2-1 – “was a privilege,” Prescod added. “We’ve never had seats like this, ever. We’ll usually have boxes, but today, it was a treat to see the hockey game so close. They had food too, and [the kids] love that, so that’s just a gift. We really do appreciate that.” 

The Algonquin College public relations students’ have elected to support the work of Upstream Ottawa via their 'Conquering the Current' fundraising campaign which launches on March 21, 2023.